Poverty has deterred environmental conservation efforts – UPC

The Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) spokesperson Michael Osinde Orach has implored government to sensitise the public about environmental conservation in Uganda.

According to Mr Osinde Orach, poverty and unemployment have characterised Uganda in the past 30 years President Yoweri Museveni has been in power, forcing people to ignore environmental conservation efforts.

“That is why most people have resorted to exploiting nature to meet their present needs yet nothing has been done to check the population growth in Uganda,” he said.

Mr. Osinde Orach said the population pressure had resulted into deforestation and land reclamation, which resulted into the recent drought that the country is experiencing.

“Therefore the state and its organizations responsible for conserving the environment should check itself even though they are infiltrated with corruption,” Mr. Osinde Orach said, adding: “instead of conserving, they connive with rich officials to destroy forests and reclaim swamps with land titles provided.”

Further, Mr Osinde Orach said that many forests have been cleared “by the so called investors to grow sugarcane’ but that the price of sugar manufactured in Uganda remains higher compared to the imported sugar.”

Quoting a recent report by the Uganda Retirement Benefits Authority, Mr Osinde Orach said 80 per cent of the youth do not save, in the process negatively impacting on economic growth.

“The youth should invest in agriculture other than betting, accessing smartphones and staying online every single day,” Mr. Osinde Orach added.